Why You Should Follow Baltimore’s Tanya McFadden in the Boston Marathon

Courtesy PressBox – Allow me to peel the curtain back a little bit. While discussing some story ideas recently, the suggestion was made by PressBox managing editor Kaitlyn Wilson that I consider writing something about the upcoming Boston Marathon.

Being the team player that I aspire to be, I immediately said, “Sure, I can do that.” Of course, the involuntary “oh my God I have no idea what to say about the Boston Marathon” face I made suggested otherwise. Expanding horizons is a good thing though, so I pressed on in search of an angle.

I poked around with folks I knew from the area who had run in previous marathons and asked about others who might be running this year’s event. It still wasn’t coming to me. “I wonder if anyone from the area has ever won the Marathon?” I asked to myself.

The answer to that question led me to the most wonderful story and quite a bit of shame for not being more familiar with it.

On the streets of Boston April 18, a local athlete will be pursuing, get this, a fourth straight Boston Marathon victory. A Howard County resident (Clarksville, Md.) and an Atholton alum is looking to begin the pursuit of a fourth straight marathoning grand slam — having won Boston, London, Chicago and New York in each of the last three years. This is the same local athlete who won three gold medals back in London in 2012.